15 Years
by VannHazel
Summary: When Clare was 20 years old, she was abandoned by the love of her life. Some Eclare, some Cake, some angst, one-shot!


_**This is a story about Clare's life. There will be some Eclare, some Cake and some other stuff. I hope you enjoy! Read and enjoy and review, please? : )**_

_**Vann**_

_20 Years Old_

She stood nervously in the side room of the church, her bridesmaids fawning over her beautiful dress and flawless hair.

Her strapless white gown hugged her curves perfectly, and cascaded down to the floor, with a train that dragged elegantly behind her.

It was Clare's wedding day, and she knew it would be perfect. It had to be perfect.

All of her friends and family were in the chapel, anxiously awaiting her grand entrance. She knew that all eyes would be on her as she strolled, arm and arm, down the aisle with her dad. And she would make eye contact with _him_, at the end of the aisle… Her future was moments away.

She was terrified and excited.

"You look amazing, Clare!" Alli hugged her tightly and wiped a tear from her eye. "I wore water-proof mascara just in case."

Clare laughed and hugged her back tightly.

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Darcy squealed from the other side of the room, jabbing an earring into her lobe and rushing over to Clare. "My baby sister…" Darcy sniffled and hugged Clare.

Clare couldn't believe it either. She was finally going to marry the man that she'd loved for the past 5 years.

It seemed way too good to be true.

Someone knocked on the door lightly and called out, "It's Adam, I'm coming in."

He walked into the room, dressed into a well-fitting tuxedo, with a piece of paper clutched in his right hand. Clare rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. He patted her hesitantly on the back and pushed her away slightly.

"What's wrong?" Clare asked innocently.

She glanced up at the clock. 5 minutes left before her big moment.

"Clare… Uh, Eli's gone... He told me to give this to you." Adam handed her the note and swallowed hard.

Clare looked at him with confusion and unfolded the paper in her hand. The crispy note was crinkled and moist, the ink smeared slightly on the page, but still readable and just as devastating.

_I can't do this._

_I'm sorry._

Clare re-read the words over and over in her head, waiting for Eli to pop his head in the room and tell her it was all a terrible cruel joke.

She looked up at Adam with shaky hands and shook her head frantically.

"It-It's a joke, right?"

Adam stepped back and shook his head softly.

"No… I don't know what happened, Clare. He was fine last night." Adam croaked before pulling her in for a loving hug. "I'm so sorry…"

Her bridesmaids came over and held her up as a devastated sob escaped from her throat and her legs gave way.

It really _was_ too good to be true.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

She watched Jake move the rest of her things back into her old room, droplets of sweat pouring down his face.

She hadn't left her bed in over two weeks, except to use the bathroom.

It had been two weeks since Eli left her, with no explanation, at the altar.

Her wedding dress was shoved angrily into her closet, balled up at the bottom and forming wrinkles on the once flawless silk material.

Jake plopped down next to her in the bed and pulled her into a warm hug.

"It's gonna be okay, I promise." He ran his hand lovingly through her slightly-greasy, flattened curls.

She flipped over to face him, meeting his gaze with a soft one of her own. His eyes pierced into hers and she felt herself growing desperate for something, anything to fill the void. She smashed their lips together and he melted into the kisses, reciprocating it intensely as he jammed his tongue into her mouth. She ripped off his plaid shirt and threw it behind her as she deepened their kiss. He lifted the large t-shirt from her frail body and kissed a line of butterfly kisses down her chest.

"Are you sure?" He breathed, his urgency becoming all too apparent through his jeans.

"Positive." She mumbled as she climbed out of her sweatpants and on top of him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

_30 years old_

"Mom, I'm gonna be late for school!"

Clare laughed from her place at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee clutched in her hand and a newspaper sprawled out in front of her.

"Relax," She said tiredly, "you aren't going to be late. It's only 6:50."

Emma glared at her mother and pointed at the clock, annoyance weighing down her every move.

"Daylight's savings time, Emma. Dad just forgot to change the clocks."

Emma plopped down in a chair angrily and put her head in her hands. Her father sauntered down the stairs and she looked up at him, anger shooting from her eyes like laser beams.

"Daddy," She whined, "thanks for changing the clocks!"

Jake Martin laughed heartily and patted his nine-year-old daughter on the head.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed as he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Dad! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Emma pouted as she wiped her cheek furiously.

"I'll kiss you until I'm dead!" Jake declared as he pulled his little girl close to his chest and planted sloppy wet kisses on her face.

"Gross." Emma jumped up from her chair and grabbed a paper towel to clean off her plump cheek of her father's affection.

Clare studied her daughter's features, as Emma poured herself a bowl of cereal and plopped down to dig in.

Not a single feature on the little girl's face was Martin or Goldsworthy.

It was like God didn't want them to know who her father was.

She remembered the day she had found out she was pregnant. Jake had told her, "It's my child, regardless. I'll be here, whether you want me to be or not, Clare."

He'd held her that whole night, dedicating himself to her, his best friend.

They never married.

They weren't even dating.

He was just Jake…

Jake, her partner, her best friend and the man who raised her daughter.

There was a deep love between them, but it wasn't necessarily romantic.

They slept in the same bed, lived under the same roof and spent their free time together as a family.

They shared the responsibilities of parents and homeowners.

They even occasionally went out and left their daughter with a babysitter.

Jake liked to joke that, "Dr. Phil would have a field day with us."

Their relationship was highly-functional and happy.

But they weren't in love.

And Clare knew that they never would be.

Clare's eyes went back and forth between Jake's face and Emma's.

The little girl's features were so distinguishably from her family.

Her lips and cheeks, her mother's nose, her father's ears, her bright blue eyes.

She was beautiful.

She was the miracle that pulled her mother out from the darkest place that Clare Edwards had ever been in her life.

Clare knew that Emma had saved her life, and knowing who her father was would only make things more difficult.

The doctor's had been unable to identify when the baby had been conceived, which is rare.

Clare hadn't been able to remember her last period, what with all of the wedding stress.

Emma was born a healthy 6 pound 9 ounces, full-term baby, and that was all that was important to Clare.

Jake had been there during every appointment. He'd made dozens of trips out to the corner store at obnoxious hours of the night to fulfill Clare's various cravings. He'd endured her mood swings and her occasional mental break down. He'd moved them from their parent's house and into a small, two-bedroom apartment. He'd picked up numerous extra shifts to support Clare and the baby. He'd held her hand tightly during the delivery, and shed a few tears when he met his little girl for the first time. He'd watched her first steps, heard her first words, and taught her how to use the "big girl potty." He'd driven her to her first day of Kindergarten, and hugged her extra tightly when he had to leave.

He was a father in every single way, and Clare loved him all the more for his dedication to a child that, biologically, may not even be his own.

And it's not as if Eli cared what happened to Clare after he left.

She hadn't heard from him since that wretched note that had ruined her life.

And she honestly didn't care if she ever saw Eli Goldsworthy again.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Clare picked Emma up from school and admired her daughter in the rearview mirror on the way home. She had a smudge of purple marker on her right cheek, and was bobbing her head lightly to the beat of the pop song on the radio, making her auburn curls bounce lightly.

"How was school today? Did you see Dillon at all?" Clare asked in a motherly tone, giggling at the blush that formed across her daughter's face.

"Mom, stop." Emma demanded, fidgeting in her seat embarrassedly.

"Fine, I won't mention your little crush again." Clare grinned widely and pulled into the driveway of their quaint little abode. Jake was still at work, and would be for at least another hour. That left some time for Clare to catch up on her work and spend some time with Emma before their weekly game night.

She climbed out of the car and stretched her legs as Emma jumped out and waved excitedly at her friend across the street. Drew and Bianca Torres lived across the street with their daughter Alicia, who was the same age as Emma. The two girls had a bond that reminded Clare of her friendship with Alli.

"Mom, can I hang out with Alicia for a little while?" Emma begged as her friend beckoned over to her from across the street.

"Yes, but only for an hour. Dinner will be ready at five. Don't make me come get you, Emma." Clare threatened before kissing her on the cheek and pushing her toward the house across the street. "And look both ways!" She called out as her daughter ran to her friend.

Bianca smiled at Emma before crossing the street over to Clare.

"We've got a problem, Edwards." Bianca stated before nodding at a brown car that was parked toward the end of the subdivision. "That car's been there since 11. Some guy's been sitting in the front seat since he pulled up. Drew's getting uneasy. Do you think we should call the police?"

Clare watched her daughter playing in the Torres' yard and then back at the car.

"Maybe we should go look in the car. Maybe there's an explanation." Clare suggested, not wanting to cause attention around the neighbor if it was just some guy taking a nap.

Bianca shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "Fine, but I'm taking my gun."

Clare looked at her in shock and watched as Bianca walked over to her house, opened up the door to her car and pulled out a handgun.

"Girls, get in the house for a few minutes." Bianca instructed them before motioning for Clare to follow her.

The two women approached the car hesitantly and looked in though the passenger side window. A man was slumped over the wheel, his face covered by dark, shaggy hair and an unkempt beard.

"He looks homeless." Clare remarked.

"He can be homeless somewhere else." Bianca stated before knocking on the window with the butt of the gun.

The man snapped up and looked at them with green eyes that were all too familiar to Clare.

"Oh my God." Clare breathed. "Eli."

The man's eyes widened in shock and, despite the glass between them, Clare could distinguish the word on his lips.

"Clare."

He climbed out of the car and Clare got her first good look at him. He looked older. He was taller by maybe an inch. His hair was completely wild, coated in a thin layer of oil with black locks assaulting his head. He was wearing a large sweatshirt and a pair of baggy jeans.

He didn't look like Eli at all.

"Clare." He stated again. "Hi."

"Hi? That's all you can say?" Bianca scoffed as she glared at the man incredulously. "Ten years and 'hi' is all you can say? That's-"

"Bianca, stop, please?" Clare asked, not taking her eyes away from the man who she hadn't seen in ten years. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you." Eli stated simply. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

Clare looked at Bianca for answers, afraid to say yes or no.

"Why should she talk to you?" Bianca sneered, waving her arms wildly. She smirked at the terrified look that Eli gave her, and realized that she was still holding onto her gun. "Relax; I'm not gonna shoot you. Although, you have been parked here for hours and I thought you were trying to kidnap our kids, so I could probably get away with it." She taunted before tucking the weapon into her jacket.

"I was waiting for Clare to come outside. I guess I fell asleep." He explained, looking at his ex-lover for some kind of understanding. She just stared at him, with her arms crossed over her chest stubbornly. "So can we talk?"

Clare rolled her eyes and nodded. "I guess so. Bianca, can you-"

"Of course. Here, take this, just in case." Bianca set the gun in Clare's palm before walking away briskly.

Clare stared down at the weapon and watched Bianca turn around and flash a devious smile.

Clare tucked the gun away uncomfortably in her pocket and motioned for Eli to follow her.

"So how are-"

"We'll talk in the house." Clare interrupted, needing a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke to the man who had broken her heart, ten years before.

Eli nodded and followed her into the house. He noted that it was nice, well-kept and homey.

It was everything Clare had ever wanted.

He inspected the walls, which were painted in light pastels. Paintings and photographs hung carefully from nails in the wall, and gave each room a feeling of love. He stared at one in particular. It was Clare, a young child and a man. It took him a moment to recognize the man as Jake Martin.

He held in a gasp and tore his eyes away from the photo.

It hurt too much to see.

Clare sat down on a couch, motioning for Eli to sit on the other couch, across from her.

"Why are you here, Elijah?" She asked with annoyance, trying desperately to hide the thick emotions that were inching up her throat.

"I-I wanted to see you. I wanted to apologize… for leaving you. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I was scared to settle down into a life with so much responsibility… and I just chickened out. I ran out of the church and I never looked back… I'm so sorry."

Clare shook her head and half-laughed. "You think that will fix everything? Oh, Clare, I'm sorry for abandoning you on our wedding day and breaking your heart. I'm sorry that you had to walk out in your wedding gown and tell all of our friends and family that the wedding was off, that they'd wasted their time and air-fare and gifts on a complete sham of a wedding. I'm sorry that you had to rebuild your life, bit by bit. But hey, I'm here now. Forgive me." Clare chuckled and wiped away a tear that had managed to escape from her strong façade. "Give me a break, Eli. I'm not the same, weak little girl that you abandoned. I don't forgive you. In fact, I hate you more than ever. Get out of my house."

Clare marched over to the door and swung it open. "And don't come back."

Eli stayed on the couch, his eyes staring up at Clare with a look that almost melted her.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

Clare grinded her teeth angrily and pulled the gun out of her pocket. "Get… out."

"You wouldn't shoot me, Clare."

Clare turned the safety off and aimed the weapon directly at her ex. "You don't know anything about me anymore. Abandonment really changes a person… You can stay and find out just how much I've changed, if you really want." She smirked evilly and held the gun up firmly, ignoring the shaking of her legs and the complete fear that threatened to break her down.

Eli quickly stood up and walked out the door. "I hope you and Jake are very happy." He sneered.

"You don't know anything." Clare seethed before slamming the door shut with her foot.

She watched through the window as he walked over to his car. She saw him stare at Emma curiously, who was playing with Alicia on the Torres' lawn. He looked back at Clare through the window. She felt her heart nearly stop.

He stopped walking and turned around, knocking roughly on her door.

"You've got a lot of balls, turning around like that." Clare said sarcastically. "What is it now?"

"How old is she?" Eli asked, referring to Emma.

"I don't think that's any of your damned business." Clare went to close the door and Eli slammed his palm into it, refusing to let it click, refusing to let her avoid him.

"How old is she, Clare?" Eli demanded, his jaw set with determination.

"She's almost ten." Clare muttered before stepping back and letting the door open. "It's still none of your business."

"She's mine, isn't she?" Eli asked in disbelief, staring at the little girl across the street.

"No, she's definitely Jake's." Clare lied, biting onto her lip roughly.

"How do you know? Did you get a paternity test?" Eli asked, making his way back into the house. His head was spinning. The little girl didn't look like him, but she didn't look like Jake either. She just looked like Clare.

"Yeah." She lied again, the intense beating of her heart making her dizzy.

"Let me see it." He demanded. Clare shot him a dubious look.

"I don't owe you anything, Eli."

"Just…" Eli sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Just tell me if she's mine, Clare."

Clare looked him dead in the eye and said, "Even if she were yours, she'd always be Jake's in every way that matters. I don't know who her biological father is, but I know that Jake is her daddy, and nothing is going to change that. He's a good man, and a good father, and I'm not going to let you come between my family." Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat gruffly before continuing. "You had a chance to be a family with me, and you blew it. Must I remind you of the _beautifully_ crafted note that you sent me, five minutes before our wedding was supposed to start?" She spat sarcastically.

"Don't you think I have the right to know if I have a daughter? Doesn't she have the right to know who her father is?"

"She knows who her father is. Her father is Jake. And you lost all of your rights when you left. Don't try to play a victim with me, Eli. I'm not the same girl I was before. I won't let you manipulate me." Clare turned away from him and stared at the ground, willing him to get out of her house and never come back.

She heard footsteps behind her, and cheered silently, assuming he was walking out the door. But she felt his hand on her arm, and turned to meet his gaze.

"People change, Clare… I'm not here to fight with you. I just wanted to know that you're okay, and that you've moved on. Obviously you have, or you wouldn't have married Jake. So, that's great. Good for you." Eli forced out, trying to mask the jealousy in his voice.

"I'm not married to Jake. We aren't even together. We raise Emma. We pay bills. We're parents together, but not married. I could never bring myself to have another wedding. I couldn't bring myself to have a relationship." She lowered her voice and broke eye contact, blinking back bitter tears. "I couldn't even bring myself to fall in love with him, and he's done everything for me that you couldn't. You ruined my life."

"Clare…" Eli whispered, holding back a flood of tears that threatened to blow his strong façade away. "I came back to beg you for a second chance, not to see if you were married. I only said that because I thought you were with Jake… I found you in the phone book and I drove here, four hours, just to see if I missed out on my chance. It's not too late to start over… I'll take care of you this time. I won't leave. We can have that wedding that you'd always dreamed of… Please, Clare. I'm here to stay now." He moved toward her with his arms open.

Clare furrowed her brow and scoffed, anger burrowing up inside of her. "You've got to be kidding me!" She smacked him away and backed up against the wall. "You thought it would be that easy? You're delusional, Eli! Please, go take your medicine and go back from where the Hell it is you came from, because you aren't wanted here."

"Wow, Clare… That was a low blow. Fine, I'll leave…" He whispered, his voice broken and full of emotion.

Eli walked out the door and right into Jake's chest.

Jake towered over Eli, staring him angrily in the eyes.

"Come back to make her even more miserable?" Jake spat littered Eli's face with droplets of saliva.

"No, I came back to see your pretty face." Eli remarked sarcastically. "How's the _lumber_ business?"

"I'm a carpenter, actually. It's great, helps me support _my _family. But you probably wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"If that kids even yours…" Eli muttered. Immediately, Jake wrapped his fists around Eli's sweatshirt and smashed him into the wall of their living room, his head hitting the wall with a sickening thud.

"That's _my_ little girl, asshole. Don't ever bring her into this."

Eli looked at Jake, whose face was red with fury and protectiveness and… love. Eli knew that Jake and Emma had a love that no paternity test could ever defile. Jake _was_ her dad. Who was he to try and come between that?

As much as the jealous bastard inside of him wanted to demand a paternity test, to continue to pester Clare for a second chance, to taunt and piss off Jake, he knew that he had no right to disrupt their family.

He'd already caused enough damage.

This was wrong of him.

And he knew it.

"How dare you come into our home and upset Clare! She's not supposed to be under any stress right now, but I doubt that matters to you." Jake continued, letting go of Eli's shirt and letting him slump to the ground. He walked over to Clare and put one arm around her waist and set the other one on her stomach. "Are you doing okay today? Still nauseous?"

"I've been fine until… this." Clare motioned toward a stunned Eli.

"You said you weren't with Jake! Why did you lie?" Eli yelled, the jealous monster overtaking him again. "Why are you pregnant if you aren't together?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business! I didn't lie. We aren't together! But I wanted more kids! So did Jake. Why do you care? Just… just get out of my house, Eli! I don't want to see you again. You aren't welcome around me, and you aren't welcome around my daughter." Her voice wavered painfully and sent a pang of guilt through Eli.

"I-I'm sorry. You're right." His eyes lingered on his lost love on last time, willing her to realize how much he'd changed, and how much he wanted her back.

She buried her face in Jake's chest and sobbed. The sight literally broke Eli's heart.

"Bye, Clare." Eli whispered before walking solemnly out the door.

Emma was standing in the yard with another little girl, playing with a plastic ball. Eli recognized her from the pictures.

Eli half-smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Hi, mister. What are you doing at my house?" She asked innocently, kicking the ball over to the other girl.

"I-I was just visiting with your mom and dad." Eli lied, searching the girl's for any inkling of Goldsworthy genetics. He found none.

The little girl gasped and Eli felt uneasiness creep up inside of him. Had she seen a picture of him before? Did she recognize him as the man who broke her mother's heart?

Instead, she grinned wildly and clenched her fists together. "My dad's home?" She asked. Eli nodded and watched as she raced to the front door and hugged Jake's waist.

Jake bent over a planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead before picking her up and spinning her around the living room. Clare watched with a genuine smile on her face as she beckoned the other little girl into the house and shut the door behind her.

It was as if he'd never been there.

It was as if he didn't even exist.

She would never be his.

This would never be his life.

He dragged his feet back to the car, turned the key in the ignition and didn't look back.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

_35 years old_

"Mom, it really hurts." Emma whimpered, lying weakly in an uncomfortable hospital bed.

Her usually vibrant skin was a sickening pale shade; her happy blue eyes were dull and tired. Her wavy auburn hair hung messily over her shoulders, peppered with the occasional snarl and flake of dandruff.

At the young age of 15, Emma Martin needed a kidney transplant.

Clare couldn't believe that her daughter was so sick. Her beautiful Emma was on the brink of death, and it just seemed so unfair.

Dual I.V's hung from her arms and a sickly cough erupted from her lungs. Clare rubbed her back soothingly and handed her a glass of water from the side table.

Emma was on a transplant list, but nowhere near the top.

Clare and Jake had both been tested to see if they were matches.

It turned out that, not only was Jake not a match for her kidney, but they did not share any matching DNA.

Now, along with Clare dealing with the illness of her daughter, she had to deal with the truth of Emma's paternity.

Eli was her father, and there was no denying it anymore.

Clare hadn't seen him in five years, but he'd called her once and left a voicemail about a year ago, claiming that he just wanted to check in and see how she was doing. It was about ten minutes long, most of it was him ranting about how sorry he was and how he'd ruined his life by leaving her.

She never returned the call, but she saved the number, just in case.

She couldn't watch her little girl suffer any longer. She pulled Jake into the hallway and said, simply, "I'm calling Eli."

Jake nodded, tiredly, the stress of the situation weighing down his voice. "It's for Emma."

Clare agreed and dialed the number hesitantly. She felt thousands of nerves in her body tense up when she heard, "Hello?"

"Is this Eli?" She asked painfully, wishing that this conversation wasn't so vital to her little girl's life.

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked, clueless. She felt relieved that he didn't have her number saved, but also a bit sad. She didn't know why, though.

"It's Clare…"

"Wow… Clare, how are you?" He asked her, trying to mask the disbelief in his voice. He couldn't even believe that he was talking to her again. He'd thought that she was done with him forever.

"Not good… Emma's sick." Clare said, crying into the phone. The sound made his heart break. "She needs a kidney. They tested me and Jake and said we aren't matches… They said…" She took a deep breath and braced herself. "They said that Jake's not her father." Clare's throat threatened to close up as her legs buckled, Jake catching her in his arms as his own tears poured onto her head. "I know-I know that we said you can't be in her life but… please don't let my daughter die!" Clare sobbed into the phone and clutched onto it desperately. Her words were barely coherent beneath her desperate breaths and pained cries. "I know it's asking a lot, but c-can you come out here and see if you're a match? You're the-the last hope we have."

"What hospital?" Eli asked urgently. Clare told him and he simply said, "Give me an hour." before he hung up the phone.

When Eli arrived, he was immediately tested to see if he could be a match. As soon as they were done, Eli and Clare went to the waiting room to talk and Jake sat in Emma's room quietly, watching his daughter sleep.

"Thank you for coming." Clare smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze. He felt shivers race up and down his spine at the contact and reciprocated it. They were sitting in close proximity; any awkwardness was replaced with cordiality by Clare, who was eternally grateful for Eli's willingness to help out.

"Are you serious about doing the transplant if you're a match?"

She dreaded the answer. What if he said no? What were they going to do?

"Of course. She's my flesh and blood. I may not be her father in any way but genetics, but I owe her this. I owe _you_ this."

"Eli, you don't owe me anything." Clare mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She knew where this conversation was going, and she was afraid of what he might say.

"Yes, I do. I owe you something for the way that I left you."

Clare shrugged her shoulders and felt heavy emotion creeping up on her. A combination of Emma's sickness, of the stress, and of Eli's presence was just too much for her. She wanted him to hold her, and she didn't know why. Usually, Jake was the one to hold her, and to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But being in the presence of her first love, of the man who she'd never really let go of, brought back familiar feelings that made her sick to her stomach with wanting.

She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

15 years had passed, and he still smelled like Eli.

Her composure broke in half and she wept into the kink of his neck, feeling a decade and a half of pent up pain escape her. He held her heaving body as she broke down deeper and deeper into him, until she was but a twitching mass of devastation in his lap.

"I-I-I miss you." She whined, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Eli felt as if his eyes were going to bulge out of his head. Was this really happening?

He noticed Jake across the room and tensed up in fear. Jake looked hurt, but offered up a slight smile which Eli knew was his approval.

Jake had watched for 15 years as Clare pined for Eli. No amount of sex, gifts, children or family game nights would change her love for him. Jake had always known that he would be number 2 in her heart, but he was okay with it. He liked this life that he had, this complicated life.

But watching Clare melt into the embrace of her past lover made Jake realize that maybe, just maybe, his complicated set-up with her was not endgame.

Maybe Eli was who she needed to be with, in order to be happy.

Jake could accept that his role in her life had been to give her a family, to keep her together and to show her that she could be loved unconditionally.

And maybe Eli's role was to let _her_ love unconditionally, and to let her experience the kind of love that she and Jake could never seem to build.

A nurse stood next to him, looking up at him curiously as he stared at Eli and Clare.

"Isn't that your wife?" She asked him, eyeing the couple that was cuddled up together in the other room.

"No, it's not like that. She's… She's my best friend. But that's it." The words made him sad, but also opened up a new chapter for him. Things were changing, but he would learn to live with it.

"Oh, okay." The nurse smiled and Jake looked down at her. She stared up at him with deep brown eyes that were accented by curly red hair. Her nametag read "Morgan," and Jake felt oddly warm inside at the sight of her.

"I'm Jake." He held out his hand politely and she shook it, grinning up at him in a way that made his stomach fill with nervous fluttering.

"Morgan. Nice to meet you, _Jake._"

He loved the way his name rolled off of her tongue.

He wasn't the godliest man, but Jake felt like this little meeting was more than coincidence.

Maybe it wasn't just Clare's turn at love and happiness.

Maybe it was his too.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Eli opened his eyes and saw Clare standing over him nervously. He looked around the room and tried to blink the blurriness away from his line of vision.

"How's Emma?" He croaked, trying to clear his throat of a phlegmy substance that coated seemingly every bit of his mouth.

"She's awake and eating ice cream next door." Clare sighed with relief and grabbed Eli's hand lovingly. "If someone had told me 5 days ago that I'd be sitting in a hospital room with my ex, holding his hand, I'd had laughed in their face… Yet here we are… How are you feeling?"

Eli grimaced a bit and shifted in the bed. "I'll be better in no time."

"You saved my daughter's life, Eli. I don't know how to repay you." Clare whispered, tears of gratefulness pooling in the bottom of her eyelids. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, but there is a way that you can repay me…" Eli smirked weakly at her and half-chuckled, grimacing at the pain that followed any movement.

"I'll do anything."

"Let me take you out on a date?" Eli felt his heart skip in his chest as he prayed for a positive answer. "You said you'd do anything…"

"Do I get to pick where we go?" She joked, trying to calm her racing pulse.

"Nope, it's a surprise. What do you say?"

"I'd say I'm in no position to deny you that." Clare smiled and gave his hand a light squeeze. "Let's focus on you getting better before we go about the town. I wouldn't want to push you around in a wheelchair the entire time."

They both laughed and Eli sighed comfortably. "Will Jake be okay with it?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it if I tell him that Nurse Morgan is free to keep him company that night." Clare remarked playfully before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on Eli's cheek.

That kiss signified a new beginning.

Neither one of them knew how their new life was going to work, but they knew that they couldn't keep running from one another and be happy.

_If this is Hell, I don't want to fight it,_

_If this is wrong, I don't want to right it,_

_If this perfect love isn't meant to be,_

_Why do you keep on chasing me?_

_Why does my heart yearn for your presence?_

_Why is your smile so effervescent?_

_And why the Hell shouldn't I receive it,_

_If this perfect love has endured the seasons,_

_Maybe we're crashing, perhaps we are burning,_

_But I'd rather die fighting than constantly yearning,_

_For some kind of closure from the love that we made,_

_And I'd rather die happily in this "mistake,"_

_Than rot away, old and alone in my grave,_

_Without ever drowning in your tidal wave,_

_So maybe this perfect love's not meant to be,_

_But I'm chasing you, and you're chasing me._

_**Welp, that's it for this one. I got inspired in the bathtub and just had to write it out.**_

_**Updates for Jump and Foolish Games will be here shortly.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Now, let me know it you want a sequel or a second chapter or anything like that.**_

_**Thanks!**_

_**Vann**_


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